title: Verification and evaluation of aldosteronism demographics in the Taiwan Primary Aldosteronism Investigation Group (TAIPAI Group).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Current data on primary aldosteronism (PA) from Asian populations are scarce. This cohort study clarifies the attributes of patients with PA in a typical Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The records of patients referred to the Hypertension Clinic from a multi-centre registration in Taiwan from January 1995 to December 2007 were reviewed. All patients with PA were classified into two subtypes: aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA) and idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA); their characteristics were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our cohort consisted of 346 patients with PA, 255 with APA and 91 with IHA. The initial hypokalaemia (59% in APA vs. 27.5% in IHA, p < 0.0001) and transtubular potassium gradient (TTKG) (6.30 ± 2.41 in APA vs. 4.91 ± 2.03 in IHA, p = 0.01) were higher in the APA group. Baseline plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) was also significantly different between the two subgroups (49.96 ± 38.15 ng/dl in APA vs. 34.24 ± 21.47 in IHA, p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In typical Chinese PA patients, the APA subgroup had a higher proportion of hypokalaemia with elevated TTKG and higher PAC as compared with the IHA subgroup. This largest Asian database also demonstrated major differences between the Caucasian and Chinese populations including female predilection, frequent hypokalaemia, and common paralytic myopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chin-Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Vin-Cent
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kuo-How
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: So-Mong
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chin-Chen
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Ching-Chu
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Wei-Shun
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ching-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Chun-Fu
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Tzong-Yann
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wei-Chou
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Ming-Shou
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yen-Hung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Tzong-Shinn
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Chien-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hung-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Wei-Jei
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tze-Wah
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Shih-Chieh
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chueh
authors.forename: Kwan-Dun
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.lastname: Taipai Study Group
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006929:Hyperaldosteronism / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D000450:Aldosterone